Celtics' Kyrie Irving Looking to Improve His Defense: I've Coasted Certain Times
For as much praise as Kyrie Irving's offensive game receives, the Boston Celtics star knows he has work to do if he wants to be considered among the league's elite two-way players.
Irving opened up on his need to get better on the defensive end of the court after Monday night's 93-90 loss to the Orlando Magic, via Boston Celtics on MassLive:
"I think that even for me, (I'm) coming to the realization that I've coasted certain times on the defensive end throughout seasons and haven't taken the challenge," Irving said, h/t MassLive.com's Tom Westerholm. "This year, I want to take that challenge and stop my man and lead these guys on the defensive end first. We all feel good when we get out in transition and get easy baskets and everyone's playing hard. That for me is a challenge, just internally, that I'm taking on."
The former No. 1 overall pick made a name for himself with the Cleveland Cavaliers with his filthy handles, his dynamic scoring and his clutch baskets. There's never been any questions about his offense. But after he forced his way out of Cleveland last year, he made defense more of a priority.
"I think he's really smart and he knows the narrative, and the great ones can redefine it," Boston coach Brad Stevens told Bleacher Report's Ken Berger last year. "We always looked at him as a guy who had really good hands, really good feet, was good in isolation and who was a guy that people had maybe underrated on that end a little bit. But I think he continues to get better. Great players want to prove to people all the time that they can do it. He's proven it, and the best way he's proven it is to be consistent with it."
Irving's hard work paid off in his first year with Boston. Last season, he posted a 103.3 defensive rating, the lowest of his career.
The five-time All-Star currently ranks 139th in defensive win shares (0.093) and 222nd in defensive rating (108.9) this season. To be fair, four games is clearly a small sample size, and there is plenty of time for him to improve those numbers.
As one NBA exec told Berger, excelling on both ends of the court is important for a player "to be recognized as a truly great player," something the exec noted Irving didn't do with the Cavs. However, a change of scenery could wind up being what takes his game to the next level.
Irving has battled a number of injuries—including knee surgery late last season—throughout the early part of his career, but the 26-year-old isn't going to let that keep him from giving 100 percent on both ends of the court moving forward.
